Depending on the age of your home’s pipes, (especially outdoor pipes) you may encounter some issues caused by leaking or blocked pipes. Some signs to look for are reoccurring sewer backups, wet spots in the lawn, sewage smells, wet spots on the floors and carpets, or sinkholes forming in the ground. If you notice any of these, it may mean that you have a break somewhere along the line. Contact Drain Wizards about all your plumbing services.
Now, what do pipe liners have to do with broken drain pipes? They are the solution to old, corroded piping systems. Previously, if you had an issue with underground piping, you would have to hire someone to come out, locate the source of the problem, dig it up, replace the damaged pipe(s), and then fill the dirt back in. It was time-consuming, costly, and left your lawn quite messy. However, there is a much easier way to fix underground piping issues now – pipe lining. Here is a brief description of how pipe liners are installed and how they work:
- Determine where the pipe is having issues – after contacting your plumbing company, they will be able to tell if your problems are coming from an underground pipe break. If so, they will use cameras to explore and locate exactly where the problem is.
- Clear the blockage and clean the host pipe – underground piping often has issues with tree roots encroaching and poking through the pipe itself. Tree roots are always searching for a water source, and pipes are an easy place to find one. Blockages and leaking can also be caused by mineral build up and scaling. Some minerals create mounds that constrict the flow of water, and others combine with chemicals in the water to eat away at the pipe itself. To clear the blockage and clean the pipe, a mechanical cutting machine is sent through the pipe from an access point (which means no digging). It removes any protruding tree roots and any mineral scaling that has built up.
- Prep the liner – once the host pipe is cleaned and clear, the liner is prepped for insertion. Epoxy is used to saturate the felt liner and the outer layer of the pipe liner is scored to help it adhere to the existing host pipe. This also prevents water from getting between the liner and the host pipe. An inflatable bladder is placed inside the liner, and then the liner and bladder are dragged into the existing host pipe to the desired location.
- Inflate the bladder – once in place the bladder is inflated. This causes the epoxy on the outside of the liner to adhere the liner to the host pipe.
- Adhere the liner – the bladder will stay inflated until the epoxy is fully cured and the liner is securely attached to the host pipe.
- Remove the bladder – when the epoxy is cured, the bladder is deflated and removed from the pipe. Now the pipe liner is working in place of the existing pipe and everything will flow smoothly.
Pipe-lining is a much faster, more efficient way to fix leaky, underground pipes. The mess and the man-power required years ago for pipe repairs has been greatly reduced because of innovations, such as pipe liners. If you think you may have issues with your underground pipes, don’t wait. Give Drain Wizard Plumbing services a call today to schedule an appointment and get it taken care of.
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